September 11, 2001. I was working from home that day. I was
utterly absorbed in whatever mundane work-related problems I was trying to
solve when the phone rang. It was my daughter, in tears, asking me
what was going on. I had no idea what she was talking about. She
just said, "Turn on the TV! Turn on the TV! It's horrible!"

I did, and it was. The closest TV happened to be in the bedroom, where
my wife was still sleeping. I woke her, but all I could say was, "Look".
As the nightmare day transpired, all sorts of rumors came and went.
Nobody knew anything except that the Pentagon and World Trade Center
Towers (both of them) had been rammed by passenger airliners and were
burning.

I watched in horror as both towers collapsed before my eyes on
live TV. I later watched as Palestinians danced in the streets and
passed out candy. Kurt managed to dig that one up for me, and it's here
now. I haven't forgotten.

The people who did this believe that God has commanded that the world
embrace Islam. Their mission is to achieve that by killing everyone who
resists. By their lights, theirs is a holy cause. They are not
susceptible to persuasion or compromise (except as a means of buying
time). They don't want validation, or land, or possessions. They want us
to become Muslims or die. Whether we think it's a war or not, they do.
They have used force and intend to keep using it. Most Americans have
come to the realization that these people must be opposed by force until
one side or the other no longer has the power to inflict harm on the
other.

But...

...there is another version of the past out there that shapes the present
debate, and could determine the future. It is a past that emphasizes the
defeat in Vietnam, and the arrogance and blindness of the Best and
Brightest. It is a past in which evil could have been safely kept in its
box, contained, or just ignored. It is a past that leads to a present in
which September 11th didn't change everything. Or much at all.

With only the occasional attack on our embassies, ships, and skyscrapers,
we managed to enjoy an economic boom for most of the Clinton Years. At
least till the dot-com bubble burst. Why can't happy days be here again?

These people have their heads...in the sand. As Tony Blair pointed
out, the Jihadists killed three thousand Americans that day. If they
could have killed three hundred thousand or three million, they'd have
done so. The terrorists haven't given up. They haven't forgotten. And we
had better not. I've collected these from assorted places around the web
to help you remember.